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Customer robbed outside of bank
Authorities say this case is similar but probably unrelated to another robbery at a bank March 14.
By JUSTIN GEORGE
Published March 24, 2006
TAMPA - For the second time in two weeks, armed men robbed bank customers at a Hillsborough County Wachovia bank in the daytime.
Peter Lugo, a Wendy's manager, drove around the Wachovia at 7931 Gunn Highway on Thursday toward the drive-through to make a deposit when a gunman approached his car.
The man forced Lugo out of his 2000 Toyota Camry, got inside and drove to a nearby Publix parking lot, Hillsborough County Sheriff's officials said.
He grabbed two bank bags in the Camry, ditched the car and took off in a newer model, maroon Hyundai Sonata.
Sheriff's deputies described the robber as a 6-foot-2, 260-pound black man with short black hair. He was wearing a black warmup suit.
Hillsborough County sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter didn't know how much money he took or if security guards protected the bank at the time.
Calls to Wachovia were diverted to corporate offices, which didn't return a message. Lugo, 42, didn't respond to phone calls at home or work.
The robbery happened at 10 a.m., about the same time as a one that happened on March 14.
In that case, Richard Gene Johnson, a 73-year-old volunteer for the Tampa Shriners Hospital for Children, was attacked as he left the Wachovia at 13304 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and approached his hospital car. A man pushed Johnson from behind, reached inside the car and stole a bank bag off the seat. The robber brandished a knife and ran west on 132nd Avenue.
While the crimes are similar, Carter said authorities don't think they're related because descriptions of the robbers differ dramatically.
No one was injured in either crime.
"Always be aware of your surroundings, but it's difficult (to do anything) when someone comes up with a gun," Carter said.
When that happens, she said, just hand over the money.
"Money can be replaced," she said, "human lives can't."
Anyone with information on the robberies can call the Sheriff's Office at 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.
[Last modified March 24, 2006, 02:15:43]
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